Category Archives: Churches

Going West: Stories Great and Small

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Sue Vincent

It is impossible to walk through any ancient place and not wonder about its story. In somewhere like St Davids Cathedral there are many stories, from those of the craftsmen who built the place, to the Story that inspired their … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Churches, History, Photography, Sacred sites, Spirituality, Stuart France and Sue Vincent, travel, Wales | Tagged carvings, landscape, pembrokeshire, spirituality, St David's, Wales | Leave a comment

Going West: A Wounded Church

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Sue Vincent

I had barely raised the camera to start photographing the interior of the great cathedral at St Davids before a gentleman approached and told me that I could not… or, at least, not without paying for a permit. Now, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, History, Photography | Tagged Celtic Christianity, Geraldus Cambriensis, Life, Norman Cathedral, pembrokeshire, Rhys ap Gruffydd, sacred sites, Silent Eye 2016 Workshop, spirituality, St David's, The Silent Eye | 6 Comments

Going West: An Uneasy Peace

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Sue Vincent

Where do you begin when you have to write about a cathedral? Each chapel, every corner, every nook and cranny is replete with art and history. The sensory input is so much that all you can do is walk and … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, History, Photography, Spirituality, transformation, Wales | Tagged Celtic Christianity, sacred sites, spiritual turning around, spirituality | Leave a comment

Going West: The Accidental Tourist

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Sue Vincent

Frankly, I thought it appallingly bad planning. Could the town not have chosen a different day to ceremonially install their new mayor? It isn’t as if we hadn’t advertised our itinerary for the weekend, culminating with a visit to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Churches, History, Photography, Spirituality, The Silent Eye | Tagged architecture, Bishops Palace, modern mystery school, pembrokeshire, sacred sites, spirituality, St David's, symbolism, Wales | Leave a comment

Going West: The Chapel in the Mists

Posted on September 26, 2020 by Sue Vincent

The chapel of Our Lady and St Non perches no more than a few yards above the steep cliffs and clear waters of the bay. Rising beyond a bank dotted with the brilliant spires of foxgloves, it was a welcome … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, History, Photography | Tagged chapel, St David's, St Non's, Wales, william Morris Notre Dame de la Victoire | 2 Comments

Going West: The Poet’s Yew

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Sue Vincent

The rain continued as we walked from the Abbey to the church, the sky heavy and grey. Even the shelter of the trees was not enough to protect the lens from the constant drops, but it began to ease as … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Art, Birds, Churches, flight, History, Photography, Spirituality, Stuart France and Sue Vincent, Wales | Tagged Abbey, stained glass, Strata Florida, Welsh church | Leave a comment

Going West: Going In

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Sue Vincent

It was either going to be spectacular… or very plain. Probably the latter, as we have found that with the highly decorated churches, it tends to be one or the other, inside or out. It was, then, no surprise to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Art, Churches, Goddess, History, Photography, Sacred sites, Stuart France and Sue Vincent, travel, Wales | Tagged font, holy water stoup, Kilpeck Norman church, symbolism | 2 Comments

Going West – Kilpeck’s West Window

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Sue Vincent

You’d have to go a long way to beat the door at Kilpeck church, but the western wall has a place all of its own. You might be forgiven for thinking it was a bit of Norse construction and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient sites, Art, Churches, History, mystery, Mythology, Photography, Sacred sites, travel, Wales | Tagged carvings, Kilpeck, norman church | Leave a comment

Going West – The Kilpeck Corbels

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Sue Vincent

Kilpeck’s bellcote reminded me of the first church we had visited, where our adventures had begun, though this one is a nineteenth century addition, carved and decorated in keeping with the rest of the building; restorations have been gentle here. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Ancient sites, Art, Churches, Don and Wen, Goddess, Grief, History, mystery, Photography, Sacred sites, Wales | Tagged carvings, Norman architecture, sheela na gig, symbolism | Leave a comment

The Matter of Britain…

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Sue Vincent

* Could there be an image more redolent of the true majesty of these isles? * We are minded of the church at Kilpeck with its famous and resplendant Sheila… * The fact that we had failed to get here … Continue reading →